You don’t have to go to a restaurant to find incredible, healthy food in Boulder County. You can have the restaurant come to you.
Whether you are planning a wedding, reunion or another kind of special event, this foodie town is ripe with private chefs for the picking. You can also find personal chefs to help you solve the eternal problem of “What’s for dinner?” Invite the expert into your kitchen to whip up your meals and leave you free to do other things (such as eat those meals).
Here’s a sample of some of Boulder’s top (personal) chefs and catering companies that you can hire to fill your belly. This is by far not the entire list, nor is it ranked by order.
A Spice of Life
A Spice of Life can handle small gatherings to big bashes, including weddings. In fact, this catering company also offers event planning. Menus can be customized and span passed snacks to signature cocktails, brunch, full dinners and everything in between. Think: grilled bison slider on a brioche bun; poached pear canape with gorgonzola on a garlic round; and red quinoa and edamame hummus baby tacos.
Another interesting service from A Spice of Life is its corporate dining program. It works with companies to bring healthy, quality food and drinks to staff in a company cafe. Companies outsource their kitchens to A Spice of Life and it brings in certified chefs and a professional team to handle the rest. An example of food from the corporate cafe might be a turkey reuben (with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing on rye) or a tuna melt with avocado, provolone and tomato.
Heartbeet Chef/Dan Wilson
Heartbeet Chef Dan Wilson is all about the personal touch. He specializes in in-home cooking, small gatherings and cooking classes. Meet with him and tell him what you (and your family) want to eat. Then he does all the shopping, cooking and cleaning. You come home to a sparkling kitchen and your fridge is stocked with food. Reheat and eat. You get a fresh, healthy dinner that you’ll enjoy without any of the busywork.
For small parties, he can cater a variety of styles: buffet, appetizers or plated meals.
Wilson graduated from Johnson and Whales University and has been working with food since he was 16.
Wildberry Personal Chef
Wildberry is a health-focused personal chef in Boulder who specializes in in-home meal prep either weekly or bi-weekly. Similar to other in-home chefs, you meet with her, go over your needs and design a custom menu. She shops, cooks, prepares and leaves completed meals ready for you to reheat. For example, a meal may look like prosciutto-wrapped pork tenderloin with roasted butternut squash, brussels sprouts, fried sage and pumpkin seeds.
One unique thing she offers is pregnancy and postpartum meals that take into account the different nutritional needs of this phase in life.
The chef, Christiana, grew up around foodies, worked in the natural foods industry and attended the Cook Street School of Culinary Arts and Wine in Denver. She also is studying Nutritional Therapy.
Front Range Catering Company
Grilled sirloin with wild mushroom demi-glace. Acorn squash halves roasted with butter and herbs, filled with blackberry-pecan cornbread stuffing. Grilled lamb kabobs, skewered with fresh veggies.
If your stomach is rumbling, you can thank the Front Range Catering Company. This local company has offered full-service catering and event planning for more than two decades.
All food is made from scratch with seasonal ingredients, local whenever possible (including partnerships with Munson Farms, Sister’s Pantry, Canino’s Meats, the Beelner Orchard and Ozo Coffee). Menus can accommodate dietary needs, from vegan to gluten-free. In addition to the norms (corporate events, reunions, you name it), the Front Range Catering Company even has a special picnic and BBQ menu.
Bonus: This is a zero-waste caterer, meaning it’s all are compostable or recyclable.
The Front Range Catering Company was founded by food-lovers Patrick and Nora Beelner, who have lived in Boulder for more than 40 years.
